Help with chiller selection - 200 > 300 KW

[ec225]

Hi all,

New to the forums so apologies in advance if this is posted in the wrong area or is inappropriate for the forums!

I need to replace a York YEAZ88DQ2 (290KW) as it is at the end of its useful life and I have been offered the following replacements:

- Carrier 30RB302 (291KW)
- York YCAB210SB (209 KW)
- Trane CGAM-070HE (191 KW)
- Carrier 30RA200-B (197 KW)
- Carrier 30RB262 (260 KW)
- Carrier 30RB232 (230 KW)
- Hitachi Samurai RCUE 100AG2 (260 KW)

System is currently using a maximum of around 190KW according to detailed heat load calculations made by vendor using "Camel 5.00.9A" software and normal load is likely to be in the 0 to 60% range as peak demand is only for a short time each week when an industrial process is in progress (other than that the system is providing cooling in office areas). Am thinking that the 230 to 260 KW capacity looks about right to allow a little overhead in case of future growth however in reality expansion of the load on this site is pretty unlikely.

Location is Western Sydney, Australia and I am mainly interested by any comments about the relative performance and reliability of the various units (and / or vendors) as we will be stuck with the replacement for a good while into the future given the capital cost of the equipment. I am also aware that the Carrier units that we have been offerred can be manufactured in France or China and would be interested to hear any comments re the relative quality either way.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

[Tesla]

Hi ec225
Welcome to the forum. I would advise against a Trane chiller as Dalkia is unstable and have lost all their Trane chiller specialists in Sydney. Due to the load profile you should also look at a Powerpak Turbocor chiller. Inter-chillers is the main (independant and professional)company for these chillers. Compare this chiller with the others. The Powerpac will out perform the others at lo loads. Trane is pretty good but getting service or parts could be a problem through Dalkia.

[cool_tech]

hey guys
heard the same rumour about trane and im in melbourne. power packs would be a good option. good efficiency. Have 4 30rb chillers on 1 site had a few problems with them but nothing to major.

[ec225]

Thanks Tesla & cool tech. Still reviewing options and the it turns out that the Hitachi chiller proposed is a RCUP75AU or RCUP75AUZ (with continuous capacity control) rather than the RCUE 100AG2 quoted above. Based on info to hand including pricing, we are leaning toward the Hitachi RCUP75AU or the Carrier 30RB262 at present and would certainly be interested on any feedback re either. Cheers & thanks again.

[Tesla]

Hi ec225
I live in Sydney and the electricity charge price has increased by 25% this year, will increase again next year by another 25%. This is government legislation. The turbocor compressor offers maximum efficiency at around 60 - 70% load which matches your load profile, also being able to take advantage of running at lower condensing temps durring those cooler mornings in the west. For these reasons I incourage you to reevaluate for the sake of making a greener planet for our children and full lifecycle costs. If you have done the calcs and have a different answer please correct me.
There are no oil issues and greater efficiency of heat exchange due to no oil film insulating heat exchangers or added friction of of refrigerant fluid flow.

[thinktwice]

hi,
look for the unit with power saving feature, having a multi compressor turning on one by one to minimized power absorbtion during start in full capacity and let only the compressor running depending on the load capacity needed. With monitoring module which monitoring the load. Compressor availibilty during breakdown. Condenser type (air or water cooled) aluminum micro channel is efficient than cooper, if you will use air cooled (hope you will not use it near the ocean or else order with a film coating) if water cooled, must efficient but costly in water treatment & cooling facility. Parts availability, maybe carrier is much available rather than hitachi.